Supreme Court justices debate the meaning of the US Constitution, but we expect teachers to explain it to scholars with far less training and experience. A daunting task for sure, but it's not insurmountable with resources that simplify...

Most Americans profess their love for the US Constitution, but this was not always the case. An informative lesson overviews the debate between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists by summarizing the main arguments of each side. It...

Dive into the times following the Constitutional Convention when the people and the leaders carried on in-depth conversations about the proposed constitution for the new nation. There were debates between Federalists and Antifederalists...

An overview of the process of ratification which occurred following the Constitutional Convention proposed the first version of the Constitution. Meet the primary contributors and understand the six stages of the ratification.

After the Constitution was written, debated, and finally adopted by the Constitutional Convention, it was sent to the states to ratify. Read about the fears of those who did not want to ratify it and see how their fears were addressed.

The process for ratifying the United States Constitution is explained in simple terms. Suggestions for research projects, resource links, and some activities are included. The rest of the site has lots more information on the U. S....

The Constitution is a living document. This annotated Constitution offers analysis and interpretation based on Supreme Court case law. This regularly updated document is easily searchable according to article, amendment, cases, laws held...

The delegates to the Constititional Convention produced a new governing document for the new United States. Read about how they determined to take the ratification process to the people of the states.

An overview of the order in which the states ratified the Constitution. Find an assortment of newspaper clippings recognizing the ratification process across the states.

A scholarly article about Tench Coxe, his support for ratifying the Constitution, the roles he played in the Washington, Adams, Jefferson, and Madison administrations, and especially his analysis and defense of the Second Amendment.

Read about why ratification of the United States' new constitution was such a struggle. Find arguments for and against ratification, and discover who supported the Federalist position and who the Anti-Federalist position. [PDF]

By 1788 eleven states ratified the Constitution, more than enough to put it into effect as the document establishing rules for the nation. Read about the goals of the Federalists in estabilishing a national government and find out how...

This site from the University of Groningen provides a synopsis chronologically written on the ratification of the U.S. Constitution beginning with the first states who accepted the document to pressures exerted by the Federalists to...

Read reconstructions of debates by delegates to the Constitutional Convention as they attempted to come to terms with slavery, the slave trade, and how to address the issue in the Constitution so all states would be willing to ratify it....

Among the many weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation was the inability of the government to conduct foreign policy in an effective manner. Find out how the Constitutional Convention addressed this issue by allowing the Executive...

Strengthen understanding of the ratification of the Constitution. Study the state ratification conventions of Massachusetts, Virginia, and New York.